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My name is Andre Ferezini and I am a film director from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I am writing to let you know that my new work, a documentary about influential and respected tattoo artist “Jun Matsui” is finally online, for free, with subtitles available in English and Japanese. You can watch it on the website below:

The film had screenings in London, Sao Paulo, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo, and was very well received. I believe it would be quite interesting to the BME community, since the narrative deals not only with tattoos but also with other things around it – work, lifestyle, etc.

Occasionally I have some bad news to post, and unfortunately this is one of those times. Jordan Teear, a tattoo artist from Frith Street Tattoo in London was in LA to start a road trip to NYC when his bike was struck by another vehicle. Presently Jordan is in the hospital awaiting surgery for two broken legs. Aaron from True Tattoo Hollywood, another artist and Jordan’s friend was with Jordon on his road trip when the accident occurred. He’s since set up a fundraising effort to help not only Jordan, but any other tattoo artists who have been injured in bike accidents. If you would like to donate to this charity that can help other people in Jordan’s situation please send a donation as a gift via PayPal to teearrelief@yahoo.com. You can also keep track of Jordan’s recovery via Aaron’s twitter account, or the Frith Street Tattoo website. Everyone here at BME wishes Jordan a speedy recovery.

This week’s BME World Tour video takes us back to Skin FX in Australia. Christ Lennox is one of the artists there, and he talks about how he went from doing tattoos in his backyard, to going to art school, and eventually working at Skin FX.

It’s time once again for another BME World Tour video. A few months back I showed you the interview with Ben Braniff. Well today we’re talking to Ben’s brother Luke about growing up in a family of tattoo artists.

So Monday night I was out at the bar with some friends and we were talking about just how difficult it can be for female tattoo artists to be taken seriously, especially at the beginning of their careers. One friend in particular talked about how at one of the first studios she worked at, the owner would call her “Tits McGee” and ask her to take part in wet-t-shirt contests to promote the shop. To think that we’ve come so far as a civilization that the idea of a female president is a topic of serious discussion, yet female tattoo artists still have to work twice as hard just to be recognized for their talent and not their “assets”. Jackie Rabbit from Star City Tattoo in Roanoke, VA is another artist who, like my friend, had to work her ass off to be taken seriously as an artist. So when a client came into the shop and requested a Rosie the Riveter tattoo it meant a lot to her. Here’s what Jackie had to say.

I dont know the significance this tattoo has for its owner but I know it has a lot of meaning to me and was very proud to do this classic symbol of female strength. It can be very hard to feel strong in the “boys club” that is the tattoo industry. It has gotten better over the years but that isnt saying much. I got my apprenticeship at 14 and was second chair by 16. When I struck out into the world and started traveling I found it very hard to be taken seriously when in most studios (particularly at the time) the only place for a woman was as shop girl eye-candy. It has been a struggle to be seen for my work instead of my sex and my age. I have now found a wonderful studio where I am comfortable and respected. I may still be the youngest and only girl in the studio but all that matters is my personality and my work. I love you Roger and all the Star City crew. Im so glad that I have finally found a forever home <3

I could be completely wrong, but I believe that this tattoo is a depiction of a Rahwana mask. Rahwana, or Ravana is a hindu deity with a very contentious background. To some he is an evil deity, yet to others he signifies knowledge. In most depictions he has 10 heads, but he is known to be shown with only one, like the example below. I mentioned yesterday how well Vincent Hocquet can blend in religious imagery into his abstract pieces, and this shows he can tackle these images on their own. It’s hard to see without zooming in the photo, but the vast majority of this piece is done with stippling, a technique that a number of artists have been using when approaching similar subject matters.

Time and time again, Vincent Hocquet’s designs have blown our collective minds. How he manages to weave in spiritual symbols with geometric shapes and abstract art. He is truly a master at what he does. Here he is at work on his friend Rob’s bodysuit, which is turning out beautifully.

As you may have seen over the weekend, tattoo artist Ran MacLurkin was in an accident last week which has put him in the hospital. He was riding his motorcycle on the way home from work Tuesday night when he was hit by a 4×4. The impact was so severe that it broke his T11 vertebrae as well as his C7. The doctors will be performing surgery on him this coming Friday to fuse the bones. After that he will need to wear a Halo brace for 3 months.

Obviously he will be unable to work during this time, which puts an immense financial strain on him and his family. Peter Sheringham, owner of The Piercing Urge where Ran works, is raising funds to help Ran during this horrendous time. If you have a couple bucks to spare, please send it via Paypal to petersheringham@yahoo.com.au. Anything will help. If you’ve got a couple dollars, please send it as every penny counts!

In addition, Steve May will be selling this portrait of Ran at his gallery exhibit. All proceeds from the sale will be going to help Ran. So if you’re in the area, stop by the show, or you can get in touch with Steve via his email address (srmay@aapt.net.au). The show itself is about tattooed people in society, and kustom kulture in general.

I’ll continue to post updates about Ran as his condition improves. We’re also in the process of getting his BMEtv interview up so for those of you not familiar with Ran can get a chance to see this wonderful man.

Today’s BME World Tour video takes us to TatuDharma in Syndey where the crew sat down with Alex “Rusty” Cairns. We talked with Alex about how he got involved with tattooing, and his take on the business side of the art.

Also, you may have noticed that the Anders video was taken down. It turns out I posted that one ahead of schedule and our editors hadn’t had a chance to finalize it (hence the lack of graphics and wrong aspect ratio). I’ll get it back up as soon as they get a chance to finalize the editing.